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BMJ Global Health, a new publication, reports that five billion people around the world lack access to surgery, at a total cost of roughly $12.3 trillion in lost GDP by 2030. The authors call for various agencies to pull together in a concerted effort to provide access to those who need it most.

While statin drugs, which lower cholesterol production by the liver, have helped many avoid atherosclerosis not everyone can take them. A new means of dealing with artery-blocking cholesterol plaques may be on the horizon — with an old compound called cyclodextrin possibly being repurposed to do just that.

In the continuing effort to curb childhood obesity, researchers are focusing on ways to keep kids active while encouraging healthy behaviors. According to a recent article published in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers believe that parents of young children can be a big part of the solution by getting more involved. 

Modern canning technology has almost entirely eliminated botulism poisoning. So, if bisphenol-A, otherwise known as BPA, is going to be tossed out of one can into another, something is going to have to take its place to keep all of us who own a can opener, safe.

Many vocal California women are outraged by the sales tax imposed on feminine products, and they have teamed up with state legislators to demand that these essential goods be made exempt, like they are in just a handful of other states around the country.

When assessing the treatment of heroin addicts, many wonder whether the current approved options, methadone and suboxone, are effective pathways to recovery. But now that a recent study has found promise in the pain medication hydromorphone, we’re left to wonder how well heroin addiction can be treated with an addictive drug.

We often hear about the next big thing in stem cell therapy, though few of these promises are backed up by evidence. But we appear to be close to a genuine breakthrough, based on a new technique capable of regenerating any human tissue damaged by injury, disease or aging.

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Terminally-ill cancer patients and their families often face a heart-wrenching choice when dealing with the imminence of death. Should patients take final refuge in a hospital, or retreat to the familiar comforts of home surrounded by loved ones? A recent study found that patients may fare better -- and live longer -- at home.

The saying that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” doesn’t mean that the squeaky wheel isn’t a huge pain in the neck. And according to a new study published in BMJ, when it comes to medical treatment difficult patients can cause physicians to make inaccurate diagnoses.

Sequencing a genome is quick and inexpensive, but a DNA sequence alone is not useful if we can't interpret the information that it holds. New research has developed an analysis using yeast that has the ability to determine whether a genetic mutation causes a disease. This work may help narrow the gap between having information and being able to use it to diagnose and treat patients.

Sleep disorders have also kept many researchers up at night, perhaps until now. Because according to a recent study, insomniacs brains may be wired differently than non-insomnia sufferers, which may lend credence to the long-suspected theory that anxiety and depression may not be the sole contributors to the pillow-time problem.

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have been able to engineer a pill which can attach to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, and withstand its abrasive environment.

Hookah smoking has greatly increased in popularity, with hookah bars and lounges attracting the young, in particular. Some may be influenced by the odd belief that passing tobacco smoke through water somehow cleanses it of the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, that's just not true.

A new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds no evidence to support the use of antipsychotics, a common go-to medication, in the treatment of acute delirium in elderly patients.

Canada, like the United States, provides some dietary guidance for its citizens. And like in the U.S., not everyone north of the boarder is happy with the result, despite the fact that they're also experiencing a similar obesity epidemic. Maybe the angst stems from the "latest" Canadian Food Guide, which came out in 2007 and could use an update.

In an article published in Pediatrics, researchers found that an acute episode of smoking by lactating mothers altered infants’ sleep/wake patterning. This, combined with the adverse physiological effects nicotine-saturated breast milk has on babies, one would think bottle feeding would be recommended among this cohort. It's not.

Once deemed a freak experiment, calling up images of Frankenstein's monster, animal-to-human organ transplant is slowly becoming a reality. Now after 10 years, researchers at the National Institute of Health have made an important step towards pig-to-human heart transplants.

Environmental groups have been making a big stink about the herbicide 2,4-D for many years. Yet, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency just determined it was perfectly fine to keep using it. To which we say, Steph Curry, the golden boy of the Golden State Warriors, is deadly. 2,4-D, on the other hand, is not. Sure, this is out of the ordinary. That said, enjoy.

Drop everything you're doing and hear this: Your parents absolutely have a favorite child. Yes, your mom did tell you she loves all of you just the same. No, she didn't lie exactly, but she may have preferred your sibling over you, at times. And guess what? Experts say that's absolutely OK.

With the Earth's population expected to reach eight billion by 2036, new solutions to an anticipated food shortage are becoming more critical. A group at Arizona State University recently discovered that increasing the expression of a gene found in most plants makes them able to grow in more varied environmental conditions.

Men and women alike often insist that a person's arousing body parts are not the most vital factors for couples when it comes to engaging in pleasurable, meaningful sex. After all, they point to other factors that are in their control, such as ability, confidence and feelings of love. But a new review of human anatomy says physical attributes may have a greater influence over the sexual experience than previously thought.

While smoking, other tobacco use and alcohol consumption continue to be major risk factors for oral cancers, as it turns out they are not the primary causes. Most would be surprised to learn the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the main culprit of head, neck and throat cancers.

For years, we've been getting advice to lower our consumption of fat to help prevent obesity and related ills. But a new study suggests that one group of fats — those found in whole milk — might actually have health benefits.

When Wall Street Journal reporter Serena Ng decides to clean house, she doesn't kid around. After she caught the folks running Jessica Alba's (dis)Honest Company lying through their veneers about what's in its "natural" products, she wasn't done. Now her spotlight is on another ethically-challenged operation.